Birthday Boy
by CanzetYote
Summary: 2012 CGI DQ Entertainment series fic. Oneshot. After Tabaqui is nearly killed on his birthday by Shere Khan, Mowgli gives him a helping hand and learns a little about the cowardly jackal.
**NOTE:** _Keep in mind that this IS NOT a fanfic of the Disney Jungle book, this is a fanfic of the 2012 DQ Entertainment Jungle Book cartoon series. Despite the sub-par CGI, the show has quickly became a guilty pleasure of mine with Tabaqui being pretty much the main reason for watching it. He's easily my favorite character in it, just this adorable, funny jerkass woobie of a jackal who gets beaten up and hurt more than any other character in the show. He's conniving, lying, cowardly and manipulative but he's also just so pathetic that I want to give him a great big hug, cuddle him and tell him that everything is gonna be okay before giving him a large slab of meat. So naturally, I decided to write a sappy hurt/comfort oneshot about him. Enjoy! Read and review!_

Tabaqui squeezed his eyes shut, pain surging through his body as he whimpered like a lost and helpless puppy. Hot, crimson blood slowly seeped from his dislocated right leg as his brain tried to register just what happened to him. He was in shock that Shere Khan could go this far and it was by far the worst birthday the jackal had in his life. It all started when he and Shere Khan were out hunting and Tabaqui was so full of joy and excitement that he couldn't help but bounce around and sing. Unfortunately, this scared off the tiger's potential cervine prey and the jackal was unaware of the hell that was about to break loose on him. Without warning, his only friend lunged at him, biting into his neck as he begged and pleaded for his life. Terrified, Tabaqui's survival instincts kicked in and he broke free of Shere Khan's grip before he was chased to a nearby cliff and cornered. With tears rolling down his face, Tabaqui apologized profusely to the tiger but it all went to deaf ears. He was pinned down and Shere Khan latched onto his right leg and broke it with a sickening crack. Tabaqui had never screamed so loud in his entire life and the next thing he knew, he was gazing deep into Shere Khan's eyes. Nothing but anger and pure hatred and what he saw chilled him to the very bone. It was then that he heard Shere Khan speak, "You're a nobody. Weak, spineless, dead weight, good for nothing waste of space. As far as I'm concerned, you should've never been born. This silly birthday of yours is a joke and so is your life. Every one of your plans has failed and all you ever do is whine about food. I can't believe that I've even allowed myself to breathe the same air with an imbecile like you. In fact, I hate you even more than I hate that accursed mancub. There are no second chances. I'm going to kill you right here and now, got it?" Before Tabaqui could speak a single word, the tiger's heavy paw swatted him off the cliff and he was sent into a freefall. Tabaqui's life seemed to flash before his eyes. All the lies he told, all those awful tricks he played of Mowgli, all that verbal bullying. Dying on his birthday, such sweet irony.

Only he didn't die. He was alive and in excruciating pain. He picked himself up, trying his best to stand but the pain in his broken leg hit him with full force. The jackal's normally smug and sarcastic demeanor had completely vanished as he fell face-first into the ground. Tabaqui choked out a sob, hot tears escaping his eyes and running down his muzzle onto his nose as he hung his head. Watching the tears drip off his nose and plop onto the dusty ground, he let out the most pitiful whimper that he could before breaking out into a round of sobs. Poor Tabaqui wanted nothing more than to curl up and die just so the pain would go away. It was right then and there that he knew Shere Khan didn't want him anymore. Mowgli and his friends didn't trust him and most of the animals laughed at him, calling him a coward, a weakling and a joke. The more and more he cried, the more dehydrated he felt, choking on the bitter salt of his own tears.

It was then that a sound caught his ear, a footstep. Blinking rapidly, the jackal dragged his paw across his eyes to clear his vision and saw Mowgli and Baloo standing before him. Instantly, he narrowed his eyes and let out an annoyed snort, "Haven't you two have anything better to do than mock me in my darkest hour?"

Mowgli gazed down at Tabaqui's broken leg and gasped, "What happened to your leg, Tabaqui? Are you okay?"

"Just leave me alone!" Tabaqui hissed, a snarl appearing across his tear-streaked face, "I...I don't need any pity from a silly mancub like you!"

Mowgli frowned and knelt down to take a closer look at the jackal's leg, "It looks dislocated. I don't think you'll be able to walk on that."

"Than just kill me." Tabaqui spat, "I don't care anymore. Shere Khan let me know where I stand and if I'm no use to him than I'm no use to anybody. Nobody trusts me in this jungle, not a single soul so why don't you just end my miserable existence here and now?"

Baloo folded his arms and adjusted his glasses, "Now what's with all these silly melodramatics? Just because you broke your leg doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"Baloo's right. You need to heal." Mowgli replied, slowly reaching over and petting Tabaqui on the head.

The jackal snapped at the mancub's hand and Mowgli instantly pulled away, "I broke more than just my leg you know! My heart is broken as well."

Baloo rolled his eyes at the jackal, "Would you perhaps care for a hug, then?"

"Hugs can only do so much." Tabaqui grumbled, "Today is my birthday and my best friend almost murdered me. Normally, Shere Khan would just yell at me but I saw a look in his eyes that I'll never forget. I startled the prey when we were out hunting. Next thing I knew, Shere Khan was attacking me. He broke my leg and pushed me off a cliff. He said he actually hates me more than he hates you, Mowgli. I'm lucky he didn't rip my head clean off. Even I've never seen him get so angry before."

"Today is your birthday? Well, then happy birthday, Tabaqui!" Mowgli replied.

"Yes, an awfully happy birthday I've had so far." Tabaqui replied, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice, "Did you even hear a word I said beyond birthday?" Baloo sighed and shook his head. The bear stepped forward and picked up Tabaqui, slinging the jackal over his shoulder, "Hey! What are you doing? Put me down! I'm not just some garment you can drape over your shoulder like that, I bruise easily!"

"Stop your whining, jackal." Baloo grumbled, "I'm taking you into that nearby cave, that way you won't be exposed to the elements."

All Tabaqui could do is groan in response as Baloo carried him into the small den and set him down on the hard cavern floor. The bear turned to the mancub, "Mowgli, you keep Tabaqui company while I go fetch some medicine for his wounds." He then turned to the jackal, "Don't try anything funny."

"I'm a scavenger with a bad leg. At this stage, that silly red panda friend of yours is more dangerous than I am." Tabaqui responded, rolling his eyes at Baloo.

With a sigh, Baloo turned and exited the cave. Mowgli set a hollowed out makeshift coconut bowl full of water on the cavern floor next to Tabaqui and the jackal gingerly took a few licks out of it to quench his thirst. There was a good 3 minutes of awkward silence between the mancub and jackal before Mowgli finally spoke up, "So Tabaqui, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you."

"What's that?" Tabaqui replied, tilting his head.

"Why do you always try to trick me and put me in danger? Why do you always do what Shere Khan says? I'm sure there's some good in you, it's just buried deep deep down." Mowgli replied, relaxing against the den wall.

Tabaqui closed his eyes and sighed, "Shere Khan is dead to me now. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he actually wanted me dead. When I interrupted his hunting, it was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak." The jackal looked down at his paws, "I only do what I do to survive. I eat meat but I'm not strong enough to catch larger game on my own so that's where Shere Khan came in. With my brains and his muscle, we're an unstoppable team. He wants to kill you simply because he doesn't think you belong in the jungle and frankly, neither do I. Once he slaughters you, I'll get to eat whatever scraps are left of you. But that's all past now because next time he sees me, I don't think I'll survive. Any more questions?"

Mowgli rubbed his chin in thought with a pensive look on his face, "As a matter of fact, yes. Tabaqui, my mother told me that bullies like you often hurt others because they feel sad or are hurting themselves. Did anything happen to you? Did you lose a loved one when you were a pup? You can tell me, I won't laugh at or make fun of you."

The jackal shook his head slowly, "That's an awfully personal question, mancub but if you really must know..." Tabaqui took a deep breath and began talking, "I had this bully when I was only a cub. He was this massive elephant named Zema and he would sometimes pick me up with his trunk and throw me against trees. He was friends with a group of monkeys and they always threw fruit at me..." The jackal's voice began to choke up a little, "I...had this grandma...she would always hold me and sing to me when I came home all bloody and bruised...but one day...I came back to the den and she was...she was...s-shot...by a human. I...I tried to wake her up...I tried so hard...b-but...s-s-she...didn't..."

Mowgli then noticed that Tabaqui had a salty tear rolling down his snout. The mancub gently reached forward and petted Tabaqui on the snout, wiping the tear away with his thumb, "I'm sorry, Tabaqui, I didn't mean to upset you."

The jackal blinked in confusion, shocked by Mowgli's compassionate action to wipe his tears away but then grumbled a bit, "She was old, she was going to die soon anyway..."

"I'm glad you told me." Mowgli said, stroking Tabaqui's ears.

"All I want is a decent meal and what do I get in return? Pain, hurt, rejection. If you walked a mile in my paws then trust me, you'd be exactly the same as me." Tabaqui sighed, "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question as well."

"Ask away." Mowgli replied.

"Do you hate me?" Tabaqui asked, looking at Mowgli with big, tear-filled eyes. The usual sneakiness that his eyes sparkled with was replaced by genuine pain and sadness, "I've done so many awful things to you. I've lied to you, tricked you, stolen from you, bullied you, hurt your friends, hurt your family. If you really do hate me then I won't hold it against you. It's normal for others to hate me. After all, who would want to be friends with a lying, cowardly scavenger? The only reason Shere Khan wanted me as a friend was my cunning. I know Shere Khan and he certainly doesn't like me for who I am, he only likes me for my skills. Before he pushed me off the cliff, he called me a nobody. When I was doing all those awful things, I was a somebody. I had a purpose. Now that Shere Khan doesn't need me anymore, I'm as good as garbage."

"Tabaqui...I don't hate you. You're just...a little complex. That's all. I know you're probably sorry for all those things you've done. You only want to survive in the jungle, just like the rest of us. It's true, you've wronged me and my friends many, many times before in the past but you're in no condition to do any real harm to us." Mowgli said, "Shere Khan tried to kill you on your birthday. I'm going to make sure that you have your happy birthday, Tabaqui. I promise."

The jackal stared at Mowgli, speechless when suddenly, Baloo entered the den with a bunch of herbs in one paw and a large bone with a good chunk of meat on it in the other, "Happy birthday, Tabaqui. I've got a couple presents for you. Herbs for your wound and some meat for your stomach."

Tabaqui's jaw practically dropped to the floor of the den, "Is...is this for me?"

"All of it." Baloo replied with a nod.

"So, you aren't going to pig out on it in front of me and only give me the scraps?" Tabaqui asked, staring at the mancub and bear with heart-meltingly pathetic puppydog eyes.

Mowgli just chuckled in response, "You've been hanging out with Shere Khan far too long, Tabaqui. You can eat all of it while Baloo and I watch. After all, you are the birthday boy."

A warm tear of joy trickled down Tabaqui's muzzle, zig-zagging its way onto the tip of his nose. He let out a watery sniffle and immediately tackled Mowgli into a close hug. Next thing Mowgli knew, Tabaqui was sobbing into his chest like a lost puppy pining for its mother. Mowgli could feel the jackal's warm tears drip upon his bare skin as sobs shook Tabaqui's body like an earthquake. The mancub wrapped his arms around Tabaqui, hugging him close and rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. After 15 long minutes of uncontrollable crying, Tabaqui finally pulled away and used his paw to wipe a few stray tears from his muzzle and nose, "Sorry you had to see me like this, mancub. Blubbering like a puppy, I must look so foolish."

"It's your birthday, Tabaqui, you can cry if you want to." Mowgli replied, scratching the jackal behind his ears. This caused Tabaqui to roll over onto his back with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

"I must admit, he's actually kind of cute when he isn't scheming." Baloo chuckled, adjusting his glasses on his snout. The bear knelt down and crushed the leaves in his paw, "Now hold still, Tabaqui. This may sting a little."

Mowgli squeezed Tabaqui's paw while Baloo applied the crushed herbs to the poor jackal's wounded leg. Tabaqui blinked back salty tears and whimpered a bit at the burning sensation but relaxed a little when Mowgli started petting him again and singing, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Tabaqui. Happy birthday to you."

The mancub rested the large chunk of meat in front of the jackal and Tabaqui sunk his sharp teeth into it greedily. He tore off a sizable bite of the meat and munched it happily, tears of joy streaming down his face. Mowgli smiled at the finally content jackal before turning to Baloo, "I guess every dog has it's day, huh Baloo?"

"Indeed." The bear nodded, "Even Tabaqui."

Mowgli, Baloo and Tabaqui hung out in the cave well into the evening hours, talking, laughing and generally having a good time. Despite the rocky start, the jackal had a near perfect birthday and even made friends with Mowgli. The sun finally set over the hills as darkness shrouded the Indian jungle. Tabaqui gazed up at the moon, his eyes glistening with tears as he spoke to himself, "I'm never going back again. I'm finally free. I feel so loved, so whole, so complete. I'm not a nobody anyone. I'm a somebody. My name is Tabaqui and my heart is finally full. All these days, I've felt an emptiness inside of me. Now it's gone. Thank you, mancub. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."

The end.


End file.
